


let's hold on to each other above everything else

by rosekatxo



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-05-11
Packaged: 2019-05-05 01:40:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14606379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosekatxo/pseuds/rosekatxo
Summary: Charity, Vanessa and the kids have a family night. Just a quick post-ep oneshot (10th May)





	let's hold on to each other above everything else

**Author's Note:**

> one of these days I'll write something that's not vanity and their kids, but today is not that day
> 
> this is v rushed and definitely not my best work but just something I wanted to write after that ep, I hope it's not too bad!
> 
> ps. can emmerdale please hurry up and give us the family content we deserve

“Charity?”

Letting the door close gently behind her, Vanessa helped Johnny out of his coat and shoes, struggling to keep him still. Met with no response, she felt that all-too-familiar panic rise in her throat at the thought of Charity having done another disappearing act.

She’d left her girlfriend talking to Harriet and in a better state of mind than she had been all week (or so she’d thought), and assumed the barmaid would still be here waiting for her when she got back from collecting Johnny – they were meant to be going out, to take their minds off everything that had happened. But what if something had happened in the half hour she’d been gone? What if Charity had had second thoughts? What if Bails had turned up at her door, intent on revenge?

Steeling herself for the worst, to be met by an empty room and the ghost of her girlfriend’s presence, Vanessa hurried into the living room, letting out a choked sob she hadn’t realised she was holding in as her eyes fell upon Charity.

The taller blonde was sitting at the table, a cup of tea that Vanessa presumed must have long gone cold clutched so tightly in her hands that her knuckles were white. She was staring directly at Vanessa – well, more like staring right _through_ her; she looked almost catatonic, numbness etched across her face. At the vet’s strangled cry, though, Charity’s head snapped up immediately, eyes flickering around the room frantically until they settled on the familiar figure.

“Ness?” she croaked.

Realising she still had hold of Johnny’s arm, Vanessa guided her son towards the sofa, switching on the tv to occupy him before making her way over to Charity.

“Yeah, it’s just me,” she reassured, voice cracking slightly. Charity picked up on the change in tone instantly, eyes crinkling with worry.

“What’s up?” She held her hand out for Vanessa to take, relieved when the smaller woman immediately moved closer and accepted the gesture.

“Nothing,” the vet shook her head, laughing shakily as she sat down. “I just… I shouted your name when we got back, and you didn’t answer. I thought something might have happened. Or that you’d gone off somewhere again, and I didn't know where.”

Charity’s face fell. “Oh, god, I’m sorry. No, babe, I’m so sorry I made you think that.” The last thing she’d wanted was to cause more worry for her girlfriend. “I guess I just spaced out a bit after Harriet left. It’s been one hell of a day, you know? I just got lost in my head a bit, I didn’t even hear you come in.”

“You have nothing to apologise for,” Vanessa reassured, stroking her thumb across Charity’s hand gently. “It’s totally understandable. I was just worried.” She used her free hand to tilt the barmaid’s chin upwards, forcing Charity to look her in the eye.

“You’ve been so brave today. I’m _so_ proud of you. I know telling your family was the hardest thing to do, but you were amazing. You have all of us on your side, no matter what. You know that, right?”

Charity squeezed her eyes closed, trying to prevent the onslaught of tears she could feel building. She’d already cried more over the past few days than she’d ever thought humanly possible. Leaning forward so their foreheads were touching, the taller blonde exhaled deeply, the warmth of Vanessa’s skin grounding her in the present.

“I know.” It was barely above a whisper, but it was something, at least. Vanessa moved back slightly, wiping a stray tear from her girlfriend’s cheek before kissing her hairline gently.

“Listen, I know we were meant to go out tonight but I honestly don’t mind if you’d rather stay in. Today has been overwhelming for all of us, I’m more than happy to do whatever you want. There’s no shame in just wanting some peace and quiet.” Vanessa spoke gently, not wanting to offend Charity or sound like she was forcing her into anything. She knew deep down the taller woman really wasn’t in the right frame of mind to be going anywhere, but if that’s what she wanted, then that’s what they’d do.

Charity straightened up, still clutching Vanessa’s hands like her life depended on it. “Actually,” she began quietly, “I was thinking. Maybe we could…” she trailed off, looking unusually self-conscious. Vanessa nodded encouragingly, tightening her grasp, and Charity seemed to gather strength, raising her eyeline.

“Could we just have a night in at the pub, all of us?” Her voice was small, but Vanessa could hear the exhaustion in her tone. “I just really want to be close to the kids tonight. I _need_ it.”

“Of course we can,” the smaller woman smiled softly. “I have a sneaky feeling they’ll want to be close to you too after today too, Noah especially. I’m sure my dad and Megan will have Johnny for the night, I’ll pop him over and then we-”

“No.” She was cut off by Charity pulling away, a frown gracing her features. “No, that’s not what I meant. I want all of us to spend the night together, Johnny too.”

“Are you sure?” Vanessa blinked confusedly. “Because it’s not a problem, honestly. He’ll-”

“Ness.” Charity stopped her mid-sentence with a kiss. “When I said all of us, I _meant_ all of us.”

The smaller blonde’s eyes shone with tears. “Oh,” she breathed out. “That’s… Yeah.” She exhaled gently. “That sounds like exactly what we need.” Charity smiled. It was only a small smile, but it was the first time Vanessa had seen her face light up all week, and that made her heart skip a beat.

“Right, well… I’ll head over to the pub and see if I can talk Noah into staying, you pack a bag for Johnny and follow us down? Debs has Moses anyway, so I’ll text her and see if she’s around.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Vanessa mock-saluted. “See you in a bit, then?”

“Can’t wait,” Charity replied sincerely, stealing one last kiss before making her way out of the house (only stopping to ruffle Johnny’s hair affectionately, making him squeal with delight). Once she’d gone, Vanessa turned to him and grinned.

“Shall we get ready for our sleepover at Charity’s then?”

* * *

Vanessa plonked herself down beside Charity on the sofa, sighing contentedly. “So what did I miss?”

She’d just arrived at the Woolpack with Johnny, who was already engrossed in a very noisy game of dinosaurs with Moses by their feet. Noah glanced across at her from his seat at the table, holding out a takeaway menu. Vanessa idly wondered whether Charity had asked him to play nice tonight, or whether this was actually the teen’s attempt at a peace offering – either way, she was going to make the most of it.

“Mum said we could order pizzas and watch a film. She said you get the casting vote, though.”

“Oh do I now?” She raised her eyebrows teasingly, taking the leaflet from his grasp. “Hmm, in that case: Mamma Mia, or Love Actually?” Noah groaned, dropping his head into his hands as Vanessa laughed.

“You don’t really think I’d force you to sit through either of those, do you?” She winked at the teen, making him roll his eyes (although she was sure she could see the hint of a smile playing on his lips). “I don’t mind what we watch, honestly. Charity?”

The taller blonde shrugged. “I’m not bothered.” She leant down to where Moses and Johnny were sat. “What do you think, kiddos? What film shall we watch?” Vanessa noticed the familiar glint in her eyes as she did so, knowing exactly what their answer would be.

“Trolls!” Both boys yelled in unison, causing the teen to sigh dramatically once more. Vanessa could barely stifle her laughter as Charity turned back to him, smirking.

“Noah?”

“Oh, whatever,” he grumbled, the gentleness of his tone betraying his feigned annoyance. “I’m gonna ring the pizza place. What are we getting?”

“Um…” Vanessa looked across at the taller blonde. “I’ll just share whatever you’re having, if that’s alright?”

“Course, babe,” Charity nodded, intertwining their hands. “I’m getting Moses a small margarita, Johnny can share that too if you like?”

“Sounds good to me,” the vet agreed. “And get yourself whatever you want,” Charity told Noah. “My treat. Oh, and don’t forget something for our Debs.” The teenager nodded, moving into the hallway to make the call as Vanessa shifted closer to her girlfriend.

“Debbie’s coming, then?”

“Yeah, Cain said he’d have the kids but he couldn’t pick them up so she’d just popped them round to his. Should be back soon,” she sighed. “I think she knows how much I need this tonight.”

“I’m sure she does,” Vanessa wrapped her arm around the taller woman’s waist. “She’s your daughter, and she’s a mum herself. She knows what it feels like, and she knows _you_.” Charity smiled sadly.

“You know, she was amazing today. Apologised to me for not doing more before, and got Noah to understand too. It was… weird, her being all supportive. Doesn’t happen very often. But it was nice weird.”

“She cares about you,” Vanessa reminded her. “We _all_ care about you.” She leant in for a kiss, only pulling away when she heard footsteps in the hallway.

“Pizza should be here in half an hour,” Noah stepped carefully over a multitude of toys on his way back to the table, collapsing onto his chair dramatically. “I’m starving!”

Vanessa grinned slyly, reaching for her bag. “Good job I brought us some snacks then, isn’t it?” She pulled out a bag of popcorn and launched it across the room, laughing when Noah caught it. This time there was no hiding the smile on his face, a sight that made Vanessa’s heart swell. “Ace,” he replied. “Thanks, Vanessa. Maybe you’re not that bad after all.”

As he hurriedly opened the bag and began scoffing the snacks, the vet caught her girlfriend’s eye. Her own beaming smile was reflected in Charity’s expression, both surprised yet clearly delighted with this sudden turn of events.

“See?” Charity nudged her arm. “Told you he’d come round eventually.” Vanessa rolled her eyes gently, relief flooding over her. _One less hurdle to overcome_.

* * *

Vanessa jumped slightly as her phone vibrated in her pocket, breaking up the stillness of the scene around them. “It’s Tracy,” she answered Charity’s silent question, watching as understanding dawned on the taller woman’s face. “Just saying she hopes we’re having a nice night, and she’ll be round in the morning.” The barmaid nodded gently, glancing back towards the screen.

They’d sat around chatting idly until their food had arrived, swiftly followed by Debbie who’d immediately stolen her brother’s seat and opened the wine she'd brought with her. The three women had shared the bottle, a kind of unspoken agreement that they all needed it after such an exhausting day, and the boys had been glued to the film from the opening line (well, Noah had spent most of his time playing some game on his phone, but then what did they expect from a teenager being forced into family time – at least he was making the effort).

But now it was nearing 9pm, and Charity’s eyes were beginning to droop. Vanessa’s heart clenched at the realisation of just how exhausted her girlfriend must be after the events of the past 48 hours, the tension begin to drain from the other woman’s body. Absentmindedly, she reached out to smooth down a lock of blonde hair as her eyes drifted around the room.

Debbie wasn’t paying any attention to the movie, one hand tapping away on her phone and the other clutching the dregs of her wine – but she was there. She’d left her kids with Cain for the night in a show of solidarity towards her mother, and Vanessa knew that meant the world to Charity. She’d also noticed the way Debbie had been glancing at her mum every so often throughout the night when she’d thought no one could see, the care and concern evident in the softening of her eyes. It was clear that she still harboured some guilt over her past actions (or lack thereof), and was determined to make up for it this time round.

Noah, for his part, had made his way onto the floor at some point during the night, and was now sat by Vanessa’s feet with Johnny beside him, the younger boy already half-asleep. The two were huddled under a blanket Noah had pulled off the sofa earlier, Johnny’s weight pressing into the teen’s side as he drifted off, and to her amazement Noah hadn’t so much as attempted to pull away. She watched as he shifted slightly to ensure Johnny was comfortable before returning his gaze to the screen, her heart suddenly feeling ten times too big for her chest.

And Moses – well, he’d given up halfway through and nestled into Charity’s arms, her whole body curved automatically around him as her head lay on Vanessa’s lap. Her arms were clasped so tightly around the toddler that Vanessa knew she never wanted to let him go, his slow breaths and the warmth of his body comforting her in a way that nothing but the presence of her children could.

As she soaked in the contentedness of the moment, Charity blinked sleepily up at her. One of Vanessa’s hands was still clasped in hers, the other drawing soft and soothing patterns across her back. Their eyes met, both brimming with something the other couldn’t quite place; care, affection, comfort, concern. _Love._

“We’ll get through this, you know.” Vanessa spoke quietly, so the children (those who were both old enough to understand and still awake) wouldn’t hear her. “All of us.”

Charity swallowed the lump that rose in her throat at the sight in front of her. The five people who mattered the most to her in the world, all here because of her, because they wanted to help her. Because they cared for her – maybe even loved her. She’d become so used to shutting people out and dealing with things alone, but this right here was all she’d ever really wanted. The very thing she’d been craving her entire life. And somehow, despite the trauma and the awful conversations and the heartbreak, she felt lighter in this moment than she had for as long as she could remember. Somehow, she believed Vanessa’s words in their sincerity.

“I know we will.” she whispered softly. “Together.”


End file.
